Redemption
by cinders44
Summary: Elena has a twin sister, Ally. She runs into Damon on her way home from camp the summer after her parents died. When Damon turns her, Ally is suddenly thrust into the world of the supernatural, but she feels as if she always belonged there. Her world is changed, especially when she meets our favorite hybrid. Rating just to be safe, and for language. First fanfic!
1. Chapter 1

I sighed as I turned my car on, mentally preparing myself for the twelve-hour car ride I was about to have to endure. The summer camp in southern Maine where I have been a counselor for the past three summers is exactly six hundred ninety four and a half miles from my home in Mystic Falls. The camp used to be my solace from all of the drama at home. At camp, none of the mattered. It would all sort of, slip away. Consumed by the seemingly insignificant drama that always accompanies summer camp with middle school kids. This year, though, was different. It was my first year back after my parents died in a car accident, which only my identical twin sister, Elena, survived. I wouldn't of even gone to camp this year, if Elena and my Aunt Jenna, our new guardian, didn't practically push me out the door.

Truth be told, I was happy to try and let my grief slip away, and let it be overshadowed by a new romance with a boy from the neighboring cabin, or maybe some of the drama some of my cabin mates dealt with. Some of those girls really loved to gossip, and some of it was pretty interesting. Although, all summer I found myself thinking of my parents. I thought of them whenever I passed the spot where they would pick me up, or one of my old cabins I gave them a tour of once.

Some of my friends were sympathetic, which was an entirely different problem. They would ask me how I was doing, and I would nod and say "Better, thanks for asking." I would try to put on a smile. I fooled some of them, but not the ones who really knew me. Eventually, they stopped asking. It got a little better then I guess.

All in all, I was happy to be getting home. This was the first year I drove myself to camp, so I was driving myself home, too. It was a long drive, but I didn't mind. I had decided I was going to use this time to figure out how to not just survive without my parents, but thrive. This was my Junior Year. I need to have some fun this year, before all of the stress of college overwhelms me. I already missed back to school shopping, which was one of my favorite things to do each year. I was not going to let any other milestones pass me by.

Three hours into the drive, I pulled over at a rest stop to get some gas, and a snack. I bought a bag of Starburst, a King Sized Kit Kat, a bag of mini Oreos and a coffee. Weird combo, I know, but you have not lived until you make a Kit Kat-Oreo sandwich, and Starbursts are just plain awesome. I planned to stop at a motel near New York City, so I was going to need to coffee because that was another 4 hours away, at best, and it was already 8 o'clock.

Finally, I pulled into an only semi-shady looking motel about half an hour past the city. I got the cheapest room I could, and basically ran to the room. I took my first real shower in over a month, and went to sleep the second my head hit the pillow, despite the coffee.

I woke up to a gasp.

"Katherine?" I heard a voice say through my half asleep very foggy brain.

And then I was across the room, pinned up against the wall across from my bed. I looked up at my attacker and say the most beautiful pair of icy blue eyes I have ever seen. The contrast between his hair and his pale skin made him all the more handsome. And then he was leaning in to kiss me.

I screamed and tried to get out of his grip. "Who are you?! Get away from me! Somebody help!" Then my attacker did something I didn't expect. He sniffed my neck and put his hand on my chest, almost like he was checking for a heartbeat.

"You're human? How is this possible?" He said, almost like he couldn't believe I was human. _What else could I be?_ I thought.

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm human! What else could I be?" I was starting to get really pissed off with this guy.

"God! You come into a cheap motel for a snack on your way to Mystic Falls, and your entire world-view is turned upside down! I need a drink."

"What are you talking about?! Who are you? Why are you going to Mystic Falls! Are you following me! Why are you even in my room! You can see where I'm staying so you obviously know I don't have any money!"

"Please, allow me to introduce myself, Damon Salvatore. And you are?"

"I'm not telling you my name until you give me some answers!"

"Fine. One bit of information about me for one bit of information about you."

"Sounds fair. I'll play along. Although you did just break into my room so I would feel safer if you stopped pinning me up against the wall."

He let me go, just seeming to realize that I was still pinned. "Now, what's your name?"

"No, you first. Why did you seem surprised that I'm human? And why did you call me 'Katherine'? And why are you in my room? And why are you going to Mystic Falls?" I had a million more questions and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Like I said, my name is Damon Salvatore, and I called you 'Katherine' because you look exactly like someone I knew in 1864."

"Haha, very funny. 1860's. I'm not as dumb as you seem to think I am. You broke in here, so now you're going to tell me the real reason."

"Listen very closely, little bitch, I am the one giving orders around here. I gave you some info, now you're going to give me some. What's your name?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because you look exactly like the girl I've been in love with for the past 150 years! And now, mere weeks away from when I can free her from the tomb she's been desiccating in since the Civil War, I find a girl who looks EXACTLY like her! Now you are going to tell me about yourself or I will feed on you until you die! Or, I'll just turn you. I've haven't made up my mind yet. So many choices for torture."

"Suck my dick. I'm not telling you anything! Get out of my room!"

And that is the last thing I remember. I woke up in the bed, and I felt very… strange. I slowly woke up, and checked out my surroundings, my memories slowly coming back until I shot out of bed, remembering Damon Salvatore and his crazy story about someone named 'Katherine' who looked just like me, and the 1860's and something about 'turning me'.

"What happened? What time is it?" I said.

"You didn't take as long as I would have guessed. Rise and shine, newbie. Welcome to immortality." Damon said from across the room.

"Immortality? What are you talking about?"

He walked across the room, and stared with his icy blue eyes into mine, and said, "You are now a vampire. I wouldn't try going outside. Although I did bring you a snack. I would eat it sooner rather than later. Although do try and save some for me."

"What are you talking about!" I was starting to get really mad. Like, really mad. More mad than I have ever been. Why was I so mad! I was obviously stuck in a hotel room with a mad person. Although there was something about him that I liked. Maybe it was the confidence, or the wit, but whatever it was, he didn't really strike me as someone who had just escaped from the looney bin.

Then I noticed the man from the front desk sitting on the chair across the room. That was when I smelled it. It was the most intoxicating scent that I had ever smelled. It was impossible to describe. It was like a combination of all your favorite foods, multiplied by 100. I was suddenly starving. It felt like I hadn't eaten in weeks. I needed food, like now. And I had a splitting headache.

"Damon, tell me what is happening to me! Why am I so hungry! And angry! And homesick! And sad! And energized! Why are all my emotions heightened!"

"Fine, I guess you're gonna need the long explanation. First of all, you're a vampire. And you will get rid of that hunger, for now, by feeding on a human, which I am not, so don't even think about it. I should also mention that if you don't feed, you will die."

"Okay, just for a second, let's pretend you're not crazy. How am I a vampire?"

"I gave you my blood and then snapped your neck. And you are now in transition. Maybe I turned you a little impulsively, but I like you. None of my meals have ever yelled at me before. It was… I would say refreshing, but… Anyway, now I have about 12 hours before the sun goes down to question you however I want."

I tuned Damon out, all I could focus on was the man sitting on the couch as still as a statue. He wasn't even blinking. As I walked over, I could hear his blood rushing through his veins. Holy shit, how could I hear that!

"Damon, how can I hear his blood pulsing from over here?"

"I think you know. You are starting to get really boring. Just feed. Then maybe this will get interesting."

I walked over, and before I knew it, I was sniffing this complete stranger's neck. And he wasn't even moving. Like, at all. The next thing I did, I'm not that proud of. But, I would later find out that it changed my life for the better. I bit into his neck. The second his blood hit my mouth, I wanted more. But, at the same time, I was aware that I didn't want to kill this man. I knew that if I drank from him enough, he would die. I stopped myself with minimal effort. I looked in the mirror that was behind the chair. My face was… terrifying, but sexy in some way. There were lines going from the bottom of my eyes to near the middle if my nose. They looked like they were etched into my skin. My eyes were so blood shot, it looked like I didn't have any more white left in them. And… I had… fangs. Like, real fangs.

"Holy shit, I'm a vampire."

Damon was standing next to me in a second. "Calm down, and breath and the scary face will go away. I like to call it 'vampire face' but you can come up with anything you want." How did he know that's what I was thinking about? _Probably because you're staring at yourself in the mirror, _I thought. I did as he told me, and the face went away.

"Now, there are certain perks that come with being a vampire. And there are certain… disadvantages. Perk #1, strength. Perk #2, speed. Perk #3, compelling. You can now just look someone in the eye, tell them what you want them to do, and they will do it. Perk #4, healing. You can't be hurt, except with wood. If you get hurt with wood, you won't heal. Your blood can also heal humans. And perk #5, immortality. You will live forever, unless you get stabbed in the heart with a wooden stake, or someone rips your heart out, or cuts your head off, or you burn in the sun. Hm, upon further reflection, there are a lot of ways for us to die. Side note, this isn't Twilight. Newer vampires aren't stronger, they're weaker. The older you are, the stronger you are, and I have 150 years on you. So don't even try it. Disadvantages: the sun, vervaine, houses and hunger. The sun and an herb called vervaine can burn you. You can't enter houses that are owned by humans unless you're invited in. Also, your emotions are all heightened; so don't go all weepy teenage girl on me. Now, I answered a couple of your questions, now it's your turn, and we have all day. Now, what's your name?"

"What the hell? My name is Ally Gilbert."

"Okay, Ally. Now how do you look exactly like Katherine?"

"How the hell would you think I know!"

"How do you know Mystic Falls?"

"I live there dumbass, why else would I be headed there! Now, can I leave!"

"You can try." He smiled in a way that made me think that something would happen to me if I tried to leave. Right, the sun. Vampires and sunlight, bad combo.

"How can you be in the sun?" I inquired.

"What makes you think I can be?"

"Because you got the clerk. Hotel front desk workers don't generally go into people's rooms. So, you had to have gotten him by walking through the sun.

"Very good, Sherlock!"

"Now tell me, how can you walk in the sun! No, wait let me guess." Now I was just showing off, I knew how he did. It was fairly obvious. A guy like Damon doesn't wear a ring like that unless he has to. "It's the ring."

"Ding ding ding! You just won yourself a daylight ring! I called a witch half an hour before you woke up."

"A witch? Witches are real, too. Hm, why am I not surprised."

"Probably. I have to say, you're handling this, better than I expected. Most people freak out about turning."

"Why? From the way I see it, there are more pros than cons. And the bloodlust isn't that bad. I barely notice that there's a human with us."

"Really? Most newbies would have killed him already. Hell, most vampires would have killed him. I've seen vampires who are hundreds of years old who can't control themselves around blood. It seems like you were meant to be a vampire."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Bree."

"Damon, you are so lucky that I was visiting family in…" She gasped as her eyes caught mine. She looked me over, and said, "Katherine?"

"Nope, just a look alike."

"A doppelganger."

"I guess. It's creepy, right. Exactly like the girl in the photo I showed you. And the girl I was in love with."

"Ok, well I'm not confused at all! What's going on?"

Bree started before Damon could, "I'm a witch and I'm going to make you a quick daylight ring because for some reason, Damon likes you."

"Try not to faint. I know I have that effect on woman." Damon said with a smirk

"Why me! Why turn me? Why not just feed on me and go!"

"Because you look like Katherine, and that just might come in handy in my plan to get her back."

"Ok, I am going to get a full explanation later, but right now I wanna get some fresh air, so can you please start on the daylight ring? Please, Bree?"

"I like her, she's polite. Unlike some people in this room."

"That'd be me. In case you were wondering."

"No shit, Sherlock." I said.

"And sassy. I'm starting to see why you turned her. Although you should have given her a choice."

"If I had, would you have chosen differently?" He said, turning to face me.

"I don't know, ask me in a week."

"Don't think I won't. Now let's get started. I believe that Ally here is late for her first day of school."

"Shit, he's right. What am I gonna tell Jenna? Oh, damn, what am I gonna tell Elena?!"

"You'll think of something."

"How did you know it's my first day of school?"

"I make it my business to know my brother's business when he could interfere with my business. He's enrolled in your school."

"Ok, we'll put a pin in that situation. Right now, like I said, I want fresh air."

"She's right, first things first. Do you have any jewelry you always wear? A ring or a necklace?"

"I have this." I took off the ring my mother gave me for my 16th birthday. _That day feels like a lifetime ago. I guess it was._ I thought and chuckled internally. I handed the ring to Bree and she did some sort of witchy spell, and the ring rose up in the air and then came back down.

"Here you go. I have to leave before my family realizes I ditched them."

"Bye, sexy." Damon said and then kissed Bree, and she left.

"Can I get some air now?"

"Fine, but if you run, I'll rip your heart out."

That gave me an idea, and I had to act quickly. I banked on my new speed and strength, both of which I had not tried yet. I crossed the room in a matter of seconds, pinned Damon up against the wall, and thrust my hand into his chest and held onto his heart, without ripping it out.

"Now you're going to tell me why you turned me, who Katherine is, and why you're going to Mystic Falls."

"Fine. Just take your hand out of my chest." I did, so he could talk.

"I was born in 1840. I grew up in Mystic Falls with my brother, Stefan, and our Dad. Our Mom died when we were young. A few months before I was to join the Confederate army, Katherine Pierce came to live with us. She was a vampire, and my father was on the town council, a council of founding family members dedicated to hunting down and killing vampires. Both my brother and I fell in love with her. She compelled Stefan to love her, but not me. It was always real with me. One day, Stefan wanted to tell my father about Katherine's little secret, hoping he could protect her from the rest of the council. I convinced of how terrible an idea it was, and he eventually agreed to not. But that didn't stop him from bringing up his sympathy for vampires to father. My dad fed him vervaine, and when Katherine fed on him later, she was exposed. They captured her, and took her to burn alive in a church fire with the rest of the vampires in town. My brother and I tried to save her, but our father shot and killed us instead. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on your view, we both had Katherine's blood in our system. They found the vampires because this idiot witch, Emily Bennett, who worked for Katherine had helped your ancestor, Jonathan Gilbert, create a device that could point to wherever the nearest vampire was. I made a deal with this witch, and she protected Katherine, and, unfortunately, the rest of the vampires. Some of them were so winey! Anyway, now I need this gem that I hid in Mystic Falls, and a witch who will help me open the tomb after the comet next week. That's where you come in. You are going to get me a witch and the gem. You know that this if for a good cause: love."

"But, why turn me? I could be of just as much use human, and you could compel me."

"Like I said, I'm impulsive. You'll thank me for it later. The ladies always do, even if I don't turn them." Then he gave me his signature smile. I had a feeling he used that smile a lot.

"You should get something to eat. And some rest. We're going home. Soon"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews! They really inspire me to write! I'm sorry that this chapter is so short... The next one will be longer, I promise! I hope to introduce Klaus in the next few chapters, and I think I know how I'm gonna do it, but I'm always open to suggestions. If you post a review with a great suggestion, I just might use it! I want to introduce Klaus in a way that feels natural. Klaus is an awesome character who deserves an awesome entrance into this world! He will be a big part of it once he is introduced! Anyway, here's the chapter...**

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We pulled into my driveway around 5 p.m that night. After Bree left and Damon explained to me about Katherine, he took me to some nearby woods and showed me how to use my new speed and strength. He showed me his catch-eat-erase strategy. I took it one step farther, and healed them. That way there was no evidence. And I only gave them enough blood to be in their system for about an hour. Just enough to heal them. Damon didn't appreciate it when I asked him why he never thought of it.

"Now, you know what to do."

"Damon, I am not your puppet. I appreciate all your help with the whole vampirism thing, but Katherine sounds like a bitch. Stringing both you and Stefan along. I have no idea why you want to free her. I'm going to go inside and try to explain my absence to my family, and then I'll think about helping you. Goodbye. I guess I'll meet your brother tomorrow, so I'll give him your message, but that is where I end it, for now. Most people might be scared of you, but I'm not. I'll see you soon, bye Damon."

"Don't forget you need to be invited in! Bye!"

With that, Damon got back into his car and drove to go find some food. He was going to wait until I gave Stefan his message before showing up at the boarding house and freaking him and Zack out. _Shit, I forgot about the whole 'being invited in thing.'_ I thought, as a plan was taking shape in my mind. _Shouldn't be too hard to get invited in. It just sounds awkward. _

I managed to open the door before hitting a wall, literally. It was like someone built a wall in my door, using invisible bricks. I tried to get past it, but it was no use.

"Hey, guys, I'm home. Can I get some help with my bags?" I shouted into the hallway, hoping someone would hear.

Elena came out of the kitchen with Jenna; it looked like they were making dinner.

"Where were you!" Elena and Jenna said at the same time.

"I'm so sorry. I had car troubles. I couldn't get it to start and someone just jumped me about four hours ago. I've been driving ever since. But, I'm fine. I just died of boredom for a few hours." I said as we walked out to my car. I mentally laughed so hard at my joke, but if I had laughed out loud, they would have thought I was crazy. "Can I go and get something to drink inside? I'll be right back."

"Sure, go on in." Jenna said. _That was way too easy_. I thought. _And why don't I want to rip their throats out?_ Damon said I would only be able to focus on their blood unless I really concentrated. He also said that it would get easier to manage it over time. But, I didn't really feel any discomfort. Weird.

I walked inside to check to see if I could get in, and it did. I went to the kitchen and got a drink to make my ruse seem legitimate. Then, I walked back to my car and got the rest of my bags with Jenna and Elena. Once we were inside, it was all hugs, and "I missed you much" and all around happiness at my homecoming.

"Where's Jeremy?" I inquired.

"In his room. I'm sure he just doesn't realize you're home. Go up and surprise him. Dinner's almost ready. I'm glad your okay. We were getting really worried."

"I didn't mean to worry you. I'm gonna go surprise Jeremy." I contemplated switching clothes with Elena and pretending to be her, but then wrote the idea off as too complicated to keep up for very long.

I walked upstairs and knocked on his door.

"Jer?" I said, thinking he might be asleep because all of the lights in his room were off. I used my new-found vampire hearing to listen for his heartbeat. I heard it, beating slowly, and went in. He was asleep, so I closed the door behind me and walked back downstairs to help with dinner. Damon said as long as I kept up a healthy diet of blood, I should be able to eat regular food too.

"Why is Jeremy asleep at 6:30?" I asked Elena and Jenna.

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about. We think Jeremy needs help. He spent basically the whole summer with the pot heads, getting high. He came home around 8 this morning, just in time for school." Elena said.

"Oh, god."

"Ya, and today at school, I found him in the boy's bathroom putting drops into his eyes to not look high. I got a lot of weird looks coming out of the bathroom."

I laughed. "I can imagine. I know he'd flip out if we suggested a therapist. Let me talk to him. I think I might be able to help."

"Ok, I'll try anything at this point." Jenna said.

"I'll be right back." I said as I walked up the stairs. I didn't know exactly what I was gonna say to him, but if Damon was right and I could 'compel' people, my compulsion could help him a lot.

"Jer, hey I'm home. We need to talk." I shoved him lightly and he woke up.

"Hey, Ally. I'm glad you're home. Are you okay, why are you so late? You missed school."

"Ya, I know. We need to talk. Elena and Jenna told me about what you've been doing this summer."

"Not you too!" He said, starting to get angry.

"Just listen. I hate to take away your will and mess with your memory but you haven't given me many options. I can't lose you, Jeremy. I will not let that happen, not as long as I have the power to do something about it. I will not let you throw your life away." I said in a calm voice. I stared straight into his eyes, like Damon told me to do, and said, "You are not going to feel the need to do drugs anymore. You are going to go to school tomorrow and make new friends, friends who don't do drugs. Maybe in the art club, I know you like to draw. You are only going to remember that I came up here and gave you a talk, and you decided that you don't need to do drugs anymore."

Jeremy nodded, and then came out of his trance. "Is dinner ready?"

I smiled. "It should be. Let's go check."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! I hope you didn't have to wait too long! I'm still trying to figure out a good update schedule. I like this chapter and I hope you do too! The reviews are really nice, thank you! Although, more would always encourage me to write... just saying! :P I finally decided on a way to introduce Klaus, and I'm really excited for it. There are a few things that need to happen before she meets Klaus, so hang in there. I'm also up in the air about how closely this should follow the show, so review with any opinions or ideas you have! Anything and everything is appreciated! Thanks!**

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About an hour later, Elena and I were in our room and she was helping me put my things away and get ready to go to the grill, while debriefing me on what I missed at school.

"There's a new boy. He's… really different than anybody else in this town. There's just something about him. I ran into him, literally, after yelling at Jeremy in the boy's room. We have a few classes together, and then he was at the graveyard this afternoon. I was writing there, and then I tripped and he was there. We talked for a bit, but then he disappeared. His name's Stefan."

I whipped around. "Stefan? Stefan what?"

"Salvatore? Why? Are you okay? Do you know him or something?"

"No, I'm just shocked that you're taking an interest in someone. I thought you were on hiatus ever since you broke up with Matt. You should take it slow, really slow." I tried to play off my reaction, but I was 99% sure that Elena liked Damon's brother. That meant that Elena liked a vampire._ Shit_…_ Wait, I'm a vampire, too_. A voice inside my head said,_ I shouldn't judge him so harshly, he could be different than his brother. Although, from what Damon told me, he's worse. _

"I don't like him like that. I might eventually, but I only met him… twelve hours ago."

"Counting the minutes, are we? You know, that's a sign of true love." I said jokingly, then laughed.

Just then there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" I said, just in case it was Damon, hoping to get invited in.

"How did you hear that?" Elena asked as I walked down the stairs.

"How did you not?" I tried to play it off, hoping to not blow my cover.

I opened the door to see a very handsome guy who looked slightly like Damon, only slightly, holding my sister's journal. "Hi, Elena. You left this today." He said, trying to seem cool, and pulling it off.

"You must be Stefan. I'm Ally, Elena's sister. Can I talk to you outside for a second?"

"My mistake. Sorry about that. You two really look alike." He said. I stepped outside, and shut the door in case anyone was listening in.

"I know what you are." I said so quietly that he could only hear if he was a vampire.

"What do you mean?" He said at a low whisper, but no so low that I couldn't hear it if I was human. _If I was human._ The words sounded foreign, even in my mind.

"I know you're a vampire. I met Damon today."

"A vampire? What are you talking about?"

"Cut the crap, Stefan."

"FIne. How did you meet Damon? I haven't seen him in over ten years. Is he in Mystic Falls?"

"I met him in the motel I was staying in last night on my way home from summer camp. He broke in to find someone to feed on, and he saw me and called me Katherine. And then he…" I couldn't even say it out loud, it seemed so...implausible, even now. I showed him my vampire face to show what I meant.

"He turned you? Why? He's normally not like… Nevermind, he is. I'm so sorry, Ally." He looked genuinely sorry for me, but his pity was misplaced. So far, I found being a vampire to be pretty… good. I was stronger, faster and was able to fix a potentially deadly situation with my brother by only dilating my eyes and saying what I wanted.

"It's okay. It's not so bad. I'm able to control the thirst. I barely even notice it sometimes."

"Really? That's not normal. I mean, it's great, but not the norm for newbie vampires."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, most vampires need months, if not years, to control their thirst." He answered, now looking at me as if I were an alien, but there was also jealousy there. R_ight, he was a ripper. He must want to be able to control his thirst like I can control mine. I forgot. He seems… fine now though. _

"Ok. I don't know how to respond to that. Being a vampire just kind of feels… natural to me. I suppose I will thank Damon one day. He said I would eventually. By the way, Damon already filled me in on a lot your history together. I don't know why he's so hung up on Katherine. She kind of sounded like a bitch if you asked me." At that, Stefan laughed. I was starting to like him, as a friend. I was on semi-permanent hiatus in the love department. My last boyfriend was an epic fail. I had a giant crush on him all throughout elementary and middle school. I was thrilled when he asked me out on the first day of freshman year. We dated for about six months, but then he slept with me and never called. I only found out later that he had cheated on me. He then went to a boarding school, and I haven't heard from him since. I am so done with him, but I don't want that to happen again, hence the love hiatus.

Anyway, coming back to this strange reality that I now found myself in, Stefan was chuckling, not full out laughing but just chuckling. I could tell he was the brooding type and it might take a lot to make him laugh. "You have no idea."

"I'm glad you can be so light hearted about getting your heart broken."

"I've had years and years to get over it. She compelled me; it wasn't real love. At least, not for me." He said with a smirk. "Oh, right the reason I came here, Elena dropped this today."

"Right, at the cemetery." I said.

"Elena told you that? You and Elena are close, aren't you?"

"We're twins, that's a bond we'll always have. Now, I have to tell you something. Damon gave me a message for you. I think he's just being dramatic, but he told me to tell you to 'Be prepared.' I'm having Lion King flashbacks just saying it out loud."

Stefan laughed in his not really fully hearted laughing way. I was starting to like both the Salvatore brothers. "I wish Damon and I had that bond. Our bond is very… unique, I guess. He's my brother and we will always do anything for each other, but we haven't been really friends since… the forties, I guess. And, even then, it wasn't like it was when we were growing up. Anyway, can I give this to Elena?" He said.

"Sure, I'll get her, because, well you know… I can't invite you in. By the way, don't let her invite you in. I'm still waiting for the background check to come in. And by background check I mean ask Caroline what she knows about you. I'm sure it's already more than you know about yourself, except the whole 'undead' thing. I love Caroline, but she isn't that bright." I laughed, although Stefan looked confused. "You'll get that one later." I said, then went into the house and went upstairs and got Elena.

"Who was it?" She asked.

"It's Stefan. He says he wants to talk to you."

"Ok," she said excitedly, then walked downstairs.

I was wide-awake, which I guessed was a side effect of being a vampire. I put on a pair of jeans, a tank top, and a leather jacket. I put on a pair of high heels as the finishing touch. It was more daring than I usually went, but I liked it. _I guess I'll embrace the whole "vampire" thing_. I giggled. I tried not to, but I couldn't help but eavesdrop on Elena and Stefan's conversation with my vampire hearing while I did my makeup.

"I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier." Stefan said.

"No, it's fine. I get it. Blood makes you squeamish." I almost laughed out loud when Elena said that._ If only it only made him squeamish. If only it only made _me_ squeamish._ I thought_. _

"Something like that." Stefan replied. "How's your leg?"

"Oh, it's fine. Just a scratch, barely." That would explain why I didn't notice it earlier. I decided to tune them out after that. I felt bad using my new vampire hearing to spy on my sister, although I bet that Stefan knew what I was doing. I tuned them out for about a minute, but then I heard Stefan asking her if she was going anywhere.

"Um, yeah actually. Ally and I were meeting some friends at the grill. Do you want to come?" She said. I felt weird about Stefan coming, but Elena was fine as long as I was there. It felt weird that I was the one who was now protecting her, and she didn't even know it. She normally protected me, being one of the most popular girl in school. I was planning on going out later that night and getting a 'snack.' I didn't want to be thirsty for school. So much blood in one place. Not a great combo for a vampire. Even one like me who seemed to be good at controlling the thirst. I didn't want to take any chances.

"Sure, I'd love to. I can come out for a few hours. I should probably get home to my, um, uncle before the sun's up, though." I noticed the hesitation on the word 'uncle.' I wondered what this 'uncle' really was to Stefan. Probably a nephew with a lot of 'greats' before it. _I'll have to ask Stefan about the Civil War sometime. Althought I probably should ask Damon, considering he was the soldier. I thought. History had always interested me, and I was always looking for fun facts or cool stories. There are people alive who have seen so many historical things. There are people who speak so many languages. Vampirism keeps getting better._

"I can work with that timeline." She giggled. "Thank you again for bringing back my journal."

"It was no problem. I'll wait here, if you want to get Ally."

"Yes, of course. I'll be right back."

* * *

Elena came upstairs and I grilled her with questions, even though I already knew all of the answers already. I mostly did it for Stefan's benefit. I could hear him chuckle at a few of her answers, and a few of my questions. We were ready in about five minutes, and then left for the grill. When we got there, we saw everyone turn their heads towards us. Actually, they turned their heads towards Stefan and Elena. I was already walking to Bonnie, so I got less stares. Elena got a vicious stare from Caroline, while Stefan got one from Matt.

"More time, huh?" I heard Matt saying to Bonnie, dejected. _Pretend like you didn't hear that! Remember, you can't hear that!_ I walked over to Bonnie, and hugged her. When we touched, she got the scariest look on her face. The look itself wasn't scary, but it scared me. It looked like she knew about me. I decided to play it cool, and sat down next to her and asked her about her summer. Then, Matt did something I did not expect. He got up and introduced himself to Stefan. It made my heart break for him, because in that moment, he knew he and Elena were really finished.

"I'm guessing Matt didn't have the best summer." I said to Bonnie.

"Not the best. But, not as bad as yours and Elena's, though. And Jeremy's. He'll get over it." She said. I nodded my head in pacified agreement. Stefan and Elena came and joined us at the table, and were soon followed by Caroline, who started questioning Stefan right away.

"So, you were born in Mystic Falls?" She started. It went on like that for a few minutes. Stefan was pretty good about lying about his past. I chuckled a little when Elena asked him about his siblings. Stefan caught my eye, but only for a second. It was too fast for anyone else to notice. After about an hour of talking, we decided to go home. We did have school the next day.

On the way out the door, Stefan muttered under his breath, so only I could hear, "Meet me at the Salvatore Boarding House after Elena falls asleep. Where something you can run in." I shot him a confused look, but nodded my head to signify my consent.

* * *

I went home, changed into my pajamas to make it look like I was going to sleep, but didn't throw my clothes in the hamper. I was just going to change back into them, anyway. After Elena fell asleep, I changed back into my clothes climbed out the window and started to run. Using my vampire speed, I reached the boarding house in 5 minutes, something that is normally at least a half an hour walk, or ten minutes by car. Stefan was there, waiting for me in the driveway.

"Secret rendez-vous. How very mysterious of you." I said with a chuckle. "Care to tell me why I'm here?"

"I want to ask you if you want an alternative to feeding on people. I imagine that Damon has filled you in on my, er, history with blood. I have found an alternate way of surviving. I feed on animals instead of people. I want to give you the option."

"Stefan, that's very sweet of you, but I think I can control myself around blood. Maybe I'm just ridiculously lucky, or something like that, but I find it easy to stop. Maybe I'm just a freak, or something, but I'm finding this to be all very easy, except for the emotions part. I feel like I'm on top of the world one minute, then the next I wanna rip someone's head off for looking at me the wrong way. I almost couldn't keep it together tonight. I almost peed my pants when Elena asked you about your siblings. I don't even know why I found it so funny. It's starting to become a real bitch."

"Ya, that part is not very fun. It gets better. I'm sorry for making you come out here so late. I'm sure you're tired."

"No, it's absolutely fine. I was going to come out anyway. I may be able to control my thirst, but I don't want to push my luck too much at school, if you know what I mean."

"That's probably for the best. I'm going to do the same."

"Stefan?"

"Ally?"

"Even though Damon doesn't say it, and you haven't seen each other since the 90's, he cares about you, and I know you care about him. Go easy on him when he gets back."

"If he comes back, I'm going to throw him out of a window. I know he is behind these animal attacks."

"Ah, a little sibling bonding. Isn't it grand?"

"It's the best… What did he tell you to do?"

"I can't tell you. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone. Even though I don't really trust him, I always keep my promises. It's kind of a thing with me. Plus, I kind of like him. He's funny. And, before you get any ideas, I don't like him in the way you're thinking of. I don't think of anyone that way anymore."

"That's very noble, the promises thing. But I'll get this little secret out of you eventually. There's always a secret agenda with Damon."

"I wouldn't worry too much over it. You know what they say, worrying causes aging." We both started laughing. "I should go. I want to get some sleep in tonight. I did die today." I said.

"You're probably right."

"Before I leave, promise me that'll you tell me about the Civil War someday. And Reconstruction! And World War I! And the Roaring 20's! And the Depression! And World War II! And the cold war! The 70's! The 50's! The 60's! As you can probably tell, I'm kind of a history buff."

He laughed, "Yes, I could tell. Sure, I promise. Goodbye, Ally. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Stefan. Wait before I go, I should have your number, just in case." "That's probably a good idea." He said as he entered his number into my phone and called it.

* * *

I ran into the woods, and found a couple of campers. I compelled them not to scream, drank a bit from each of them, quickly healed them, and compelled them to forget, and, for added measure, I compelled them to not take any risks for the next day or two that could get them killed. I was again surprised at how natural it seemed. I started to run home, but was interrupted when something pushed me into a tree. I pushed Damon off me, a little too hard, probably, because he flew back about 50 feet, right into another tree. I ran to him before he reached the ground, and brought my vamp face out to play.

"Don't scare me like that, Damon."

"Hey, I'm just checking in on my little spy."

"I am not your 'little spy,' Damon. And I'm still pissed at you for turning me for what I believe to be a pretty lame reason." I retorted.

"Don't forget, newbie, I have 150 years on you. Don't make me rip your heart out." He said as he got out of my hold and pinned me to the ground.

"You wouldn't. It would feel too much like killing Katherine." I shot back. "I wouldn't be surprised if you're already in love with me." Heavy sarcasm there. With that, he let me go.

"Oh please, I know you can't resist my charm and good looks."

I put my hand to my heart dramatically, "You got me, Damon. I'm madly in love with the man who killed me less than 24 hours ago."

"Don't push it, Ally. What did you find out?"

"Not much, Damon. I told you I would keep your secret, but that doesn't mean I'm going to lie for you. Figure out how to get your girlfriend out of the tomb on your own." With that, I vamp sped away, but didn't get far. I heard Damon following me, so I stopped. "Why are you following me?"

"Because, like it or not, I can either help you or destroy you." "

What do you mean?"

"Would you like me to tell Elena that you're a vampire now? Do you think she'll ever look at you the same?"

"Fuck off, Damon." But the threat still lingered in my mind.

"Get some sleep, Ally. Tomorrow, you're going to figure out why Stefan is here."

"I can already tell you that. He's here for Elena."

"Did he tell you that?"

"No, but it's obvious."

"Hm, could have been worse."

"What could?"

"He could have been here to free Katherine, too."

"Does he know that she's alive?"

"Nope, but there are ways he could have found out." "

Damon, like I said. I'm not helping you. I will tell you things if you need to know them, but that's it."

"You'll come around."

"Ya, good luck with that," With that, I ran off back to my house. When I got inside, I checked to make sure my absence was not noted, and put my pajamas back on. I used my new found stealth to get into my room without making the door creak, and climbed into bed. I fell fast asleep right as my head hit the pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. I hope you like the cliffhanger I left for you! ;) I actually really like this chapter. She's going to get out of Mystic Falls next chapter, so I'm really excited for that! Klaus will be introduced soon-ish! I know how I'm going to do it, I just need some time to get there! thanks for being so patient! I'm really glad that she's out of Mystic Falls because I was being to feel constricted creatively by what happens in the show. She will be back to Mystic Falls, and I know when, but that's a secret for now! Guesses are always welcome! If you have any guesses as to what happens, please review with them! I love to hear anything you guys think! If you give a really good guess or suggestion or really anything that's awesome I might just give you a shout-out in the next chapter! Well, without further ado, here's the chapter! I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Although I would love to change this fact, I do not own anything from_ The Vampire Diaries_. I only own the changes I made.**

* * *

The next morning Bonnie picked Elena and me up in her car to go to school.

"So, I told Elena this yesterday, but I'm psychic now. Grams told me that I'm a witch." Bonnie was saying merrily, going on to explain how her "crazy grams" told her. _Oh, shit. Bonnie is a witch. Bennett! Damon told me that the witch who helped him save Katherine was named Emily Bennett_. _I'm gonna have to tell her! She might not even believe me. She's going to hate me now that I'm a vampire! Aren't witches and vampires supposed to be mortal enemies or something?_

I decided to put a pin in that whole situation for now. We got to school and I went to the office and got my class schedule because I was out yesterday and didn't get it when everyone else did. I compared it with Elena's and Bonnie's, I had two classes with Elena, and one with Bonnie. My schedules were always a little weird. I took as many languages as I could. So far, I was fluent in Spanish, French, German and Latin. And of course, English, but that goes without saying, duh. This year, I was taking Sign Language, Mandarin, and Portuguese. I loved languages. They came easily to me. One of my goals for before I was 21 was to speak 8 languages. I took different classes so I could take so many languages. I didn't take a math course, or an elective. My parents had spear headed the campaign to beef up the language program at the public schools in Mystic Falls. Before, they only offered Spanish, French or Latin. Now, they offered ten different languages.

"I have history first." I said, right as I almost ran into a locker that somebody had left open by accident. I quickly side stepped it. I guess my vampire senses helped me out; normally, I would have gotten a huge bump on my head. I was not the most graceful human. I could trip over a flat surface with no problem. It caused me a lot of embarrassment. Because of it, I couldn't do sports for my , on the other hand, was very nimble and graceful. She was always much better at sports than I was. Elena was involved in cheerleading before our parents died, but she quit after the accident. I tried to convince her not to, but she was determined. Although, I think she would come around. She seemed different since that she had met Stefan. Anyway, my lack of coordination made me more interested in academics, and singing. Although, I was way too shy to sing in front of anyone. Right now, my only audience was my shower-head.

"Looks like someone found some hand-eye coordination this summer. We have history, too. Be careful of Mr. Tanner. He seemed in a really bad mood yesterday." Elena warned me.

"Oh, thanks for the heads up." I replied and walked off to my first period class with Elena and Bonnie. I half expected it. Mr. Tanner wasn't exactly a nice person. He would always get mad at students for not knowing some random fact. Like we were supposed to know it, before he had even taught us anything about it yet! Needless to say, he wasn't anybody's favorite teacher. When we got to the classroom, I saw Stefan sitting in the seat next to Elena that I normally sat in. I decided not to say anything about it and sat down in a different seat next to Matt. He gave me a hug, because he had left the grill after Elena and Stefan walked in, we didn't get to have our homecoming. I had always liked Matt, but I also knew that he and Elena weren't going to work out. Although, I thought it was for the best. Matt was the school catch, and once he got over Elena, he would finally notice the long line of girls waiting for him to say hi to them.

"Hey, Matty Blue Eyes." I said, using my nickname for him.

"Hey, Ally. It's good to see you! How was camp?" He asked. We talked until the bell rang, and sat down once Mr. Tanner walked in.

* * *

The rest of the day was, well, normal. It was fantastic to feel normal for even a few hours when I had been living, and will be living for a long, long time, the rest of eternity, apparently, a complete abnormal life. After school, I decided to track down Damon. But, first, I needed to tell Bonnie that she really was a witch, and that I was a vampire. We were best friends, so I was hoping she wouldn't freak out so much if I told her. And I was not going to let Damon have this over me. I couldn't live with this huge secret always over my head.

I saw her walking towards cheerleading practice, with Elena. _Might as well tell both of them. There's no use in putting off the inevitable. _I thought. Although, I was determined to tell them, I couldn't help but want to chicken out. I was never a procrastinator, but this was something I genuinely wanted to put off for as long as possible. But, I couldn't live with the fear of them, especially Elena, finding out about me from someone else. Plus, the longer I waited, the worse it would get.

"Elena, are you going to cheerleader tryouts?!" I said, shocked.

"No, I'm just walking Bonnie there. Don't look so disappointed. I am not going to be the girl who only mopes and writes in her diary anymore, I just need a little time." She said. That was becoming her catchphrase lately. " I just need some more time" can out of Elena's mouth more often than anything. Although, I had noticed she hadn't been saying it as much since she met Stefan. Maybe she really was coming out of her grief coma. I felt like I was coming out of my grief come too. _I guess I might have vampirism to thank for that. I feel much better about myself since I turned. More confident in myself._

"I believe you. But I have something to tell you guys. It's kind of… important." If important was the right word. Something more like "life changing" or " earth shattering" would probably be more accurate.

"What is it, Ally?" Bonnie asked, seeming curious.

"The other day… well…" I started, not really knowing where to begin. "I don't really know where to start, but... I guess I'll just rip off the bandaid...I'm a…" I was cut off by Stefan. _Damn. He must have heard. He doesn't want me to expose him to Elena. I wasn't going to anyway. That's for him to tell her, not me. _

"Ally, can I talk to you?" He said.

"Um, me? Sure. I'll be right back, guys." I said, giving Stefan the evil eye. Elena shot me a look that was somewhere between confusion, jealousy and disbelief.

"Not the best time, Stefan." I growled at him once we were a safe distance away.

"You can't going to tell Elena or Bonnie about anything."

"Why not? I wasn't going to tell them about you! Bonnie deserves to know that she's a witch! And I won't be able to hide being a vampire from Elena for very long! Eventually, I'm gonna slip up! I'll cut myself, and then heal in five seconds! How will I explain that? Or, somebody else will cut themselves and I might not be able to stop myself from feeding on them, or showing them my vampire face! Plus, she's going to notice I'm not aging eventually!" I said in a low voice so only Stefan could hear.

"This is not how they're going to find out! Bonnie deserves to figure it out on her own! Or have her Grams tell her! And Elena does not need to be involved in this! Once you tell her, there is no going back! She will never look at you the same again! Can you handle that?" He replied.

"Stefan, Damon threatened to tell Elena about me, anyway. I was thinking that I would take away that power he has over me."

"Damon will not tell them anything. If he does, I'll give him hell for it. If you see him again, tell him to get out of town." He said. I was flattered that Stefan wanted to protect me. Even if it was against Damon. I could tell Damon was just a teddy bear trying to be a grizzly. He had a soft side. He just needed the right person to bring it out.

"I plan on saying a lot worse if he decides to creep me out in the woods again. He might be my friend, for whatever reason, but if wants to sneak up on me and push me up against a tree by my throat like that again, I am going to rip out his heart."

He chuckled, "I have a feeling you can handle yourself. Just don't tell Elena. I don't know how she is supposed to find out about all of this, but I know this is not it."

"I won't. You know Elena's going to find out eventually. She's going to notice when neither of us is aging." I said. I suddenly had the urge to see Damon. If I could convince him to stop threatening to tell Elena, maybe I could feel a bit better. " That's an issue for another day, though. For now, I just need to clear my head. I think I'm going to go for a drive. I'll see you at the bonfire! By the way, I think Elena might think there's something going on between us."

"Thanks for the heads up."He said, looking genuinely shocked by this news.

"No problem. I'll take care of it." I said and waved goodbye.

I walked back over to Elena and Bonnie.

"What was that about?" Elena asked.

"He's in my Mandarin class and wanted to know what the homework was, he forgot to write it down."

"You guys seemed pretty mad, like you were yelling at each other about something." Elena said, looking dejected.

"He told me that he likes you, and I tried to scare him so he'll treat you right." I quickly came up with an excuse that would seem believable. It didn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out that Stefan liked Elena.

"What? He likes me? I just met him."

"Elena, he has the romance novel stare." Bonnie said. I mentally patted myself on the back for cleverly distracting them.

"Elena and Stefan, sitting in a tree…" I sang merrily.

"Shut up!" Elena whined, but she still smiled. That seemed to end the Stefan talk for now, I hoped.

* * *

"I need to go for a drive, clear my head. Maybe practice my French. Do you mind if I borrow the car?" I asked Elena after we left Bonnie at her cheerleading tryout.

"No, I guess that's fine." She said, although she was suspicious. "You'll be back for the bonfire, right?"

"Ya. I'll only be gone a few hours. I'll be back around 6, I guess. Plenty of time. When Stefan inevitably talks to you, and probably asks you out, try to be open minded. He really likes you, I think. This could be good for you."

"Ok. Ally, I'm just going to come right out and ask you, avoid the drama. Do you like Stefan?"

I tried to look shocked that she would ask that and said, "What? No! Absolutely not! He likes you! Every conversation we've had, which has not been many, has always led back to you."

"Ok, because you're my twin, I'm going to believe you." She said, then laughed and handed me the car keys. I hoped that issue was taken care of for good. A much as I liked Stefan, as a friend, he and Elena have something that he and I don't, something I was, and still am, 100% certain we will never have.

I got in the car and started to make my way to where Damon told me he was staying. It was a little motel about five minutes out of town. Perfect for anonymity. I found the room he was staying in, and knocked, He didn't answer, so I broke his door down, trying to be dramatic. I was never dramatic before I changed. I would never do anything that would draw more than the minimal amount of attention that went along with being a "Gilbert." I was fine with being the sister of the most popular girl in school. It shielded me from kids who would make fun of me for not being "as pretty" or "as popular" or "as athletic" as Elena. I really didn't get the "pretty" one. I mean come on. We're identical twins. The only way you could tell us apart is because my hair is curly and she straightens hers. Because of Elena, I could still have friends, her friends, and pursue things that I would normally get made fun of for, like spending all of my time reading in other languages, or not doing sports. When I was human, I would sometimes have elaborate fantasies about what I would say to people whenever they looked at me the wrong way, or said something mean to me. It was a rare occasion, but it happened. But, ever since I turned, I began to feel much more confident in myself.I felt like I could have the confidence in myself to say the things I had been fantasizing about. I hadn't noticed it until I kicked Damon's door in. That was something I never would have done before. I would have been too shy. Maybe another side effect of vampirism is self-confidence. Or maybe that was just unique to me. Either way, I didn't want to go back.

"Hello, Damon. And Other." I said as I noticed a very attractive blonde woman who was probably in her early twenties sitting on his bed. "And who are you?" I asked.

She began to move her lips, but no sound came out. "Just a little snack." Damon said as he came into the room, wearing only a towel. _Compelled. That makes sense of why she can't talk._

"Damon, you can't be so reckless. I've been a vampire for just over a day, and I'm already better at this than you AND Stefan." I said as I bit into my wrist and gave the girl a drop of my blood. "Now leave and never think of this place again." I compelled her.

"You and I are a lot more alike than you think." He said.

"What do you mean?" I asked him snippily.

"That is almost the exact thing I said to Stefan when I came home one night after we turned and found five woman bleeding out in our living room. Although, I didn't say I was a better vampire than he was." Damon informed me.

"Whatever, Damon. I came here to warn you not to mess with Stefan. I didn't tell him your secret, but you should. He deserves to know that Katherine is alive, too." I said.

"Why do you even care? Why does he even care? According to him, I'm a 'lost cause.'"

"You are not a lost cause, Damon. You may be a bit… rough around the edges. But you are not lost. I don't believe that you're an antagonist, so you need to stop acting like one. Be the protagonist. I also believe that everyone can find redemption. Even you."

"Well, good luck with that." Damon said as he smirked. I knew he was secretely pleased to have someone care about him, despite the things he's done to them.

"Damon, I have to go. I think you've spent your last night in this dump. I've seen your house, why are you staying here?"

"I prefer to make an entrance." He said with his signature smirk.

"Always the one for dramatics. You learn something new about someone everyday. And, I would leave before someone from the management comes and sees the door." I said as I left the room. "And one more thing. Give me your phone. We should have each other's numbers, just in case." He handed me his phone and I called mine from it, so he would have mine and I would have his.

"Don't think I won't booty call you!" He said as I was walking out the door.

"Don't think I'll pick up!" I called from the parking lot, knowing he could hear.

* * *

I drove back into town, and went to my favorite store. I decided that now that I was a vampire, and I had all this new-found self-confidence, I was going to use it. I had saved up money from my summer counselor job, and was planning on using it for a new outfit for the bonfire tonight, but then I realized I could just compel myself a new outfit. It wasn't _technically_ stealing, so… It was a gray area, sue me!

I went into the store and saw the too perky sales girl come and say hi to me. "Hi, Elena. It's great to see you!" I saw her name tag and saw that her name was "Emma."

"I'm actually not Elena." I said politely. I had gotten used to this over the years. People were always confusing Elena and me.

"Katherine?" She said, and I gasped.


	5. Chapter 5

"What did you call me?" I asked, dumbstruck.

"Katherine? What are you talking about?" She said with a confused look on her face.

_She thinks I'm Katherine. Why?_ I thought. I could hear her heartbeat, so I knew she was human, so she must be… compelled? As my brain started to sort through the multiple ways to handle this situation, I decided to buy myself some time.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you right. I thought you said… napkin?" I replied. I quickly grabbed a few random pieces of clothing from a nearby rack and said, "I'm going to try these on." I ran to the dressing rooms and closed the door to the nearest one.

_So this girl thinks I'm Katherine. That means she knows Katherine, and she's compelled. That means Katherine must have compelled her. That means that Katherine's not in the tomb! If she's not in the tomb, that means she was never in there to begin with! She's been toying with Damon and Stefan for over 150 years! Oh, God! What do I tell Damon? Do I tell him anything? He's going to be so mad! _My thoughts were going a million miles a minute. _I have to get more information about Katherine from this girl. I just have to act like Katherine, a girl who looks just like me and whom I've never met. No big deal._

"Emma, can you come here for a second?" I called out into the store. I heard her coming this way and decided that Katherine was mean. Manipulative, maybe. _She did let Damon and Stefan think she was dead for 150 years._

"Do you need a drink Katherine?" She said and then held out her wrist. There were scars on it in the shape of teeth. But the scars weren't what caught, and held, my attention. She was holding a knife in her other hand, with blood on it. Across the wrist she was holding out to me, there were deep cuts, with blood gushing out of them. The blood instantly overwhelmed my mind, and before I could even try to think about controlling it, my vamp face was out. I pulled the girl into the dressing room, and bit into her wrist. The second the blood hit my lips, I wanted more. And more. And more.

"Katherine? Are you alright? I have some new information about Stefan that you might be interested in." With that, she had my attention. I removed my fangs from her wrist and breathed in and out like Damon showed me to get rid of my vamp face. It seemed to work.

"Tell me what you know." I compelled her, a simple test to see if she was on vervaine.

"He's back in town." She said in a monotone voice. "I don't know about Damon. I haven't…" I cut her off. None of the what she was going to say would be new information to me. I just needed to know if she could be compelled, and she could be.

"I'm not Katherine. Or Elena. I'm Elena's twin, Ally. Tell me where Katherine is." I compelled her again.

"I don't know. Last I heard, she was living in D.C." She said in the same monotone voice.

"When did Katherine compel you?" I asked.

"About a year ago. She told me she always has somebody in Mystic Falls compelled in case Stefan comes back. He comes back about every fifty years to visit what family he has left." She said, though it was information that I already knew.

"Why does she want to know if Stefan's back in town? Why would she care?" I said. I had so many questions, and I was afraid this girl would only be able to answer so many.

"I don't know, but I think she's in love with him."

"Did she ask you to keep an eye on anyone else for her?" I asked, thinking about Damon.

"You and your sister." She said, truly surprising me.

"Why would she want to know about Elena and I?"

"I don't know."

"What have you told her about us?"

"Only what I knew. Just that there are two girls who look just like her. You don't really come in here that much. I haven't told her that Stefan is in town yet. She hasn't come by for a while." She responded. If Katherine hadn't given her new information in a while, she would be virtually useless. It seemed that that was all I could get out of her.

"You are going to forget I came in here. You are only going to remember that a girl came in, tried a few things on, and bought a new outfit. And you are going to remove the security tags off of this jacket, and these shoes." I fed her a drop of my blood, compelled her to be careful for the next few hours, took my new clothes, and left.

* * *

I got in my car and tried to process this new information._ Katherine's not in the tomb. But, why wouldn't she tell Damon and Stefan? And why would she leave Mystic Falls in the first place? It seems to me that she had a pretty good life here. Why would she leave?_ I resolved to go home, pack a bag and head to Washington D.C. to ask her myself. I would tell Elena and Jenna that I was staying with a camp friend or something for the weekend. It would give me a few days to sort out this mess. Finding her was the tricky part. _If I were Katherine, where would I_ stay_? It had to be somewhere she could get in, so a human couldn't own it. A foreclosure, maybe? She's a 500 or more year old vampire who is probably used to nice things. So, it has to be nice. _That would be probably all I had to go on, so it would have to do, for now. I debated whether or not to tell Damon or Stefan on the ride home. By the time I pulled into my driveway, I had decided not to tell them anything, just yet. I needed more information before I dropped a bomb like this on them. She had to have a reason. I was just hoping it wouldn't break their hearts.

I walked into the house to see Jeremy playing video games on the couch. I put my keys down. "Hey, Jer." I said. He gave me a mumbled "hello," not letting his eyes off of the television for a second. I walked up to my room, and closed the doors behind me. I heard Elena in the shower, so I knew I was safe to look up what I needed to. I grabbed my laptop off my bed, and typed, "Foreclosures, Washington D.C." Over two thousand links popped up, and I clicked on one for a local real estate office, and looked at the listings. I put in a high price range, and about 100 results popped up. I printed out the top 25, and stuffed the list in my purse. No sooner had I done that, then Elena came out of the shower, and opened the bathroom door.

"You're home. Great! What should I wear tonight?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. Why don't you pick out a few options while I take a shower? I bought something on the way home, so I'm all set." I said, then shut the bathroom door and turned the shower back on. I needed to make a plan. I always got a little nervous going into something blindly. I needed to talk to Katherine; that much was clear to me. I needed to know why she looked like Elena and me. I also needed to know why she ran from Stefan and Damon in 1864. I had two days to find her and question her, if I left right after the bonfire. _Maybe I should skip it._ I thought. _The sooner I can find Katherine, the better._ I sighed as the shower failed to calm my nerves. I turned off the water, and grabbed a towel.

"Is this what you bought?" Elena asked as I came into the room. She was looking at the outfit that was on my bed that I had laid out for the bonfire. It probably wasn't the most practical for the trip I had in mind, but it would have to do. It was a bright blue tank top, and a light brown leather jacket. I had also laid out skintight jeggings, and a pair of black, high-healed boots. I was planning on finishing the outfit with jewelry and a black beanie.

"Ya, why?" I asked.

"It's just… different. In a good way. I like it. It's more daring than you usually go." She said, and I smiled. Being a vampire has its advantages, like self-confidence.

"Thanks, I guess." I said as I grabbed the pants I "bought" and a shirt and went into the bathroom to change. I came out a minute later.

"You should wear that one." I said as I pointed to an outfit that was in the middle of her bed, where three different outfits were laid out.

"Great! I was thinking that one, too."

"Don't forget your Converse!" I said as she went into the bathroom to dry her hair. I could hear her laughing in the bedroom. The only shoes Elena seemed to wear lately were Converse. She came out of the bathroom about twenty minutes later. By then, I had decided how I was going to get to D.C.

I pretended to get a phone call from a friend at camp. "Hey, Rachel." I said into my phone, creating a fake name for a camp friend. I hoped that my phone wouldn't ring and give me away. "What's wrong?" I tried to look concerned, and it looked like Elena bought it. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

"What's wrong?" Elena mouthed.

"I'm coming as soon as I can. You just hang in there." I hung up the phone, and sat down and tried to look devastated.

"Ally, what's going on? Where are you going?" Elena looked worried as she sat next to me.

I turned on the waterworks, and said, "My friend from camp. Her dad just died. He was my favorite counselor at the camp."

"That's awful. I'm so sorry." Elena said with real sympathy.

"Thanks. I'm going to go to comfort her for a few days. And go to the funeral. Do you think Jenna will mind if I borrow the car?"

"I'm not sure. We just got you back from camp. Do you have to go tonight?"

"Yes, it has to be tonight. She's… heartbroken. She knows that I can understand better than anybody. I mean, we can." I said.

"Right. You should get going, then." She said, although I could tell she didn't want me to go. _When I get back, I'm going to tell you everything_. I vowed right then and there.

"I should pack. Tell Bonnie I'm really sorry I have to miss the bonfire. I know she was really excited about it." I said as I walked to the closet and grabbed a bag and started throwing some clothes in.

"I'm sure she'll understand…Ally, do you want me to go with you?" Elena asked, surprising me.

"No, I think it's better if I go alone." I responded.

"Ok, I'll leave you alone." After that, she left the room, probably to go tell Jenna what happened.

"Too easy." I mumbled under my breath as I silently laughed and wiped away the fake tears.

* * *

I came down ten minutes later with a packed bag over my shoulder. I took the keys from Jenna and hugged her and Elena. Jeremy had already left for a friend's house before the bonfire. This was his freshman year, so this was his first bonfire. Although he didn't want to admit it, I knew he was excited.

"I'll be back in a few days. I'll call you when I get there." I said and went out the door. I turned the car on, and drove. I didn't stop until I got fifteen minutes outside of DC. I took out the list of foreclosures and entered the first address into the GPS. I had been to DC before. It was only about an hour and a half from Mystic Falls, so my parents used to take Elena, Jeremy and I into the city to see the museums and sights. I hadn't been back since Elena and Jeremy grew out of wanting to visit museums. I never did grow out of that, but I hid it because I still felt like I didn't want to be different.

I navigated the streets as the automated voice told me to. The first address was a bust. The second and third were too. They were all vacant, without even a single chair in them. It was getting late by the time I pulled up to the fourth address. It was a luxury apartment building about two miles away from the National Gallery of Art. Luckily, a pizza delivery guy had just opened the door, so I slipped in behind him. I saw from the list of tenants that apartment 4D was vacant. I pressed the button for the elevator and waited. When I got to the fourth floor, I stepped off the elevator and made my way towards apartment 4D. The door wasn't locked so I didn't have to break in, which was helpful. _She wouldn't have a key if she were squatting here, so that would explain why the door was unlocked._ I thought as I stepped in, relieved to fine there was no barrier. This one was different than the others; there was furniture, and nice furniture at that. This is the most promising one so far.

I walked around the apartment and tried to look for clues to if Katherine was staying there or not. I found blood bags in the fridge, which was very encouraging, and delicious. I hadn't eaten for a while, so I was thirsty. And, if Katherine wouldn't cooperate, it might come to a fight. I wanted to be prepared. The rest of the apartment was ordinary, and there was nothing else that made me think Katherine could be staying there.

I heard the sound of the elevator ding down the hall and someone got out. I heard them talking on their cell phones, and their voice sounded eerily similar to mine and Elena's, so I vamp sped into the nearest closet, which happened to be the empty pantry, and listened for the approaching intruder.

"Isobel, I already told you! We are going to wait to go into Mystic Falls! I know where the moonstone is. I'm the only one who knows where it is. I have been running from Klaus for over 500 years! I am not going to be rushed into it!" I heard her open the fridge and take out a blood bag. I thanked the stars that I had had enough sense to throw my used blood bag out and not leave it on the counter. "You do realize you only have to give up one of your daughters, right? So, which one is it going to be? Elena or Ally?"_ What?_ I thought. _Her daughters? Elena or Ally? What is she talking about? My parents are both dead._

The voice on the end replied with a few choice curse words, and than something that sounded like "Katerina Petrova." Right, Damon told me her name used to be Katerina Petrova in Bulgaria. I heard the Katherine hang up her phone, and put it on the counter. I realized with a start that she was making her way over to the pantry, where I was hiding. _Crap, she found out I'm here! How? I don't even have a heartbeat! How could she have heard me?_

"Whoever's in my apartment better come out now or I will rip your heart out of your chest and stuff it down your throat," she threatened.

I decided to use the only trick I had up my sleeve: my vampire speed and strength. She didn't know I was a vampire, so that meant she would be expecting a human. That also meant that she wouldn't be expecting someone who looked exactly like her.

I gathered my courage and vamp sped out and ran into Katherine, or Katerina, or whatever she likes to be called, literally. I grabbed her by the throat and shoved her against a wall. I brought my vamp face out and said, "Hello, Katherine."

"Who are you?" Katherine struggled to say.

"I think you can guess who I am." I said back coldly.

"I could guess better if you put me down."

"Maybe, but then again, where's the fun in that?" As soon as I had said that, Katherine had me pinned against the wall. _I guess I underestimated how old she is._ I thought.

"That's better. Now, who are you?"

"Take a wild guess!" I spat through my teeth. I could feel my courage leaving me at a rapid pace.

"I mean, which one are you? Elena or Ally? And who turned you?"

"Why aren't you in the tomb?" I asked.

"No, no, no. I asked first. Now answer or I will rip your heart out of your chest and send it to your family as a present." Katherine threatened.

"I'm Ally. Why do I look exactly like you?"

"Well, Ally, you're a Petrova doppelganger." Katherine said, confusing me even more.

'What's a Petrova Doppelganger?" I said as I pushed my way out of her hold and ran as fast as I could a safe distance across the apartment. Once I was at a distance I realized how alike we really did look. It really was like looking in a mirror. I had always been used to looking like Elena, but we always had had different hair, hers being straight and mine being curly. Also, Elena was a little taller than me. Elena and I also had different teeth. Hers were perfect from the day she was born, but I had needed braces when I was 12. I got them off eventually and now my teeth were fine, but still. Katherine had curly hair, too. I had a feeling the similarities didn't stop at our appearances, though don't ask me why. It was freaky.

"There's no point in not telling you anymore. First of all, what do you know, and how did you fine me?"

"I ran into your little spy in town today. She thought I was you, so she spilled the beans. She told me that she thought you were in DC. It wasn't rocket science to figure out you would be staying somewhere not owned by a human. The rest was a simple Internet search."

"I have to say, I'm a little impressed. Although, that salesgirl wasn't the brightest. Now, who turned you?" She asked.

"I'm not telling you anything else until you give me some answers!" I spat back. "Why aren't you in the tomb?"

At that, Katherine laughed. "That explains it. Damon turned you. He's the only person who still thinks I'm in that tomb. Don't let anyone else know that he turned you though. There are people who will kill everyone Damon's ever met for messing with a doppelganger's humanity. You are so lucky you have a twin."

"Why am I so lucky to have Elena? Stop being so cryptic!"

"Now, what do I get out of it, giving you information?"

"What do you want Katherine?"

"Your sister. Your human sister." She said as she stared me straight in the eye. She was obviously very determined to get what she wanted. Although I could see that I put a wrench in her plans by tracking her down. My being a vampire was not part of her plan.

"What do you want with her?"

"You'll find out if you agree to the deal. She is the only thing that can get me my freedom."

"Tell me, and then I'll see if I agree."

"Not good enough. You need to know who has the higher ground in a situation. And right now, it's me."

"Are you sure? Because, from the way I see it, I do have something you want."

"And what is that?"

I didn't hesitate when I snapped her neck. "Consciousness."

* * *

I searched her apartment for anything that I could tie her up with, or anything wooden I could threaten her with. I saw a few bottles of water in the fridge. I was thirsty; being pinned against the wall by your throat will have that effect on a person. I took a gulp of water, only to have it burn my throat. I accidently swallowed some, and it hurt like a bitch. "Vervaine." I said to no one in particular. "Why do you have vervaine?" I mumbled to Katherine's unmoving body.

After spending about ten minutes tearing the place apart, I finally came across some rubber gloves and rope. _Very convenient_, I thought when I found them. _Why does she have those?_ I put the rubber gloves on and dipped the rope in the vervaine. I put Katherine in a chair, and tied her to it with the rope. All that was left was to wait. I broke the one other chair in the apartment and made a stake with it, to defend myself.

Katherine wasn't waking up, so I decided to drink some more blood to pass the time. I opened the fridge and picked out the blood bag on top. I waved it in front of Katherine to wake her up, but no luck._ I guess it takes more than blood to make someone come back to life when you want them to._ I mused. I sat down on her couch and turned the TV on, and waited.

Two hours later, she woke up. It was slow, and she took a few minutes, but she eventually came to.

"Congratulations," she mumbled, "you're the first person in 100 years to take me by surprise. It won't happen again, I promise."

"You said it yourself, Katherine. Always have the upper ground." I walked over to her. "I just took it."

"You're more like me than you know." She said with a smirk.

"Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?"

"Depends on who you ask."

"Enough stalling Katherine! You're going to give me some answers. Or I'm going to drive this stake through your heart."

"Fine, but it's a long story."

"I've got nothing but time."

"I grew up in Bulgaria in the 1400's. I got pregnant when I was unmarried. It was quite the scandal. My baby was taken away from me before I even got to hold her. After that, I left Bulgaria and went to London. There, I met Elijah, an Original."

"What's an Original?" I inquired.

"Wow, you really don't know anything, do you?"

"No, I guess I don't. But, indulge me. What's an Original?"

"An Original vampire. The vampires from whom all vampires are created. They are stronger, faster and can't be killed. There's a family of them. There are five of them. You don't want to mess with them. Although, only two that you need to worry about, now. Let's just say the rest of them are… incapacitated."

"Alright, got it. Originals are evil, very old vampires. Go on, Katherine."

"My name's actually Katerina Petrova. But, I've grown to prefer Katherine. Anyway, you would be less confused if you just let me talk!" She must have seen the confused look on my face. It felt like it was permanently plastered on there recently.

"Let's not forget who is tied down and who has the stake." I said.

"I have a feeling you're not normally this bold."She said, seeming to cut right through my tough guy act that seemed to come out with adreniline ever since I turned.

"You're stalling again!"

"Fine, I guess you were going to find out eventually." Katherine started. "Elijah took me to his brother, Niklaus. I didn't know it at the time, but the only reason I was there was to break the curse that was placed on Klaus. Klaus does not have the same father as the rest of the Originals, his mother had an affair with a werewolf. Klaus is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline, so he is a hybrid. When he made his first kill after he turned, he started to change, so a witch put a curse on him that has kept his werewolf side dormant. The key to breaking the curse is the moonstone, and the doppelganger. When I met Klaus, he started courting me. It turned out that it was only because he wanted to keep me close so he could sacrifice me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. So, Elena and I are doppelgangers. So, one of us has to be sacrificed. And it can't be me because I'm a vampire. And werewolves exist?"

"Yep, and Klaus won't stop until he gets what he wants. I ran when I found out what his true motives were. I tricked someone into turning me into a vampire, and have been on the run ever since. There's one more thing you should know."

"And what is that?"

"When I ran, Klaus massacred my entire family."

"Is that what you meant when you said someone would kill everyone Damon's ever met?"

"Yep. And, an Original can compel a vampire. So, to avoid that, I have been sipping vervaine everyday for the past 500 years. I have built up a tolerance to it."

"What?"

As she broke apart the ropes like they were string, she said, "The only reason I told you anything was because I told you exactly what I wanted you to know. Nothing more, nothing less. Although, I will leave you with one more piece of information."

"What do you mean, leave?"

"Ally, you and Elena are adopted."

That is the last thing I remember. Katherine must have snapped my neck, because when I woke up, the apartment was empty. The clothes were gone from the closet, the blood was gone from the fridge, and Katherine was nowhere to be found. The only thing in the entire apartment was a letter addressed to me. I picked it up and read it.

_Dear, Ally_

_I must admit; I'm impressed. You found me quicker than anyone else. I didn't think you were capable of snapping my neck. I underestimated you. It won't happen again. For this feat, I give you one piece of advice: stay out of Mystic Falls. Klaus will find you and Elena, and you will not survive. I have been running from him for 500 years. You need to protect yourself. Drink vervaine every day, and don't stand in his way. I am a selfish person. I will always put my survival above anyone else. You should do the same._

_Love,_

_ Katherine_

_ PS: Ask your Uncle John about your real parents._

I sat down as I tried to absorb this information. _I'm adopted_. It didn't feel real. It felt like a sucker punch to the stomach. I had a million questions. I had come to Katherine with a million questions, and I left with two million. I didn't know whether or not to trust Katherine about being adopted. At the same time, I knew that she wouldn't really have a reason to lie to me about it, but then again she could have one and just not be telling me about it. And what would my Uncle John know about Elena and me being adopted?

I walked out of the apartment building feeling dejected, and hungry. I wanted actual food, not blood. I mean, I did want blood, but I also wanted food. I walked to my car, and got my bag. At this point, the sun was just starting to come up. I reached into my purse to get my wallet for some food money, but I noticed my phone first. _Crap, I forgot to call Elena! I promised I would call when I got here! She's going to be freaking out._ I figured I would just shoot off a quick text instead of getting into a whole conversation with her. I didn't have the energy to make up some story about why I hadn't called her. I quickly typed out a short text explaining that my phone had died. Before I had to opportunity to send it, I noticed that I had over twenty missed calls. Some from Stefan, some from Damon, some from Elena, but what surprised me was that I had about 5 from Jeremy. I decided to call him first. If Jeremy was calling me that meant something bad had happened. He wouldn't call me if something bad hadn't happened. I quickly dialed his number. He answered on the second ring.

"Ally!"

"Jeremy, what's wrong?"

"It's Vicki. An animal in the woods attacked her last night. She's in the hospital, but the doctors don't know if she'll survive."

"Oh, Jeremy, I'm so sorry. How's Matt?"

"He's with her in the hospital. Ally, I'm worried."

"I know. So am I. Is Elena there?"

"Ya, she's right here. Elena, it's Ally!" Jeremy called out. I heard Elena scream "Coming!" and walk down the stairs.

"Ally?"

"Ya, it's me. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. Things got… complicated. What happened?"

"We were at the bonfire. I was walking with Stefan, and then he disappeared so I went back to the party to look for him. I found him, but right as I did, I saw Jeremy sulk off into the woods." I heard Jeremy mutter under his breath, "I wasn't 'sulking,'" from the living room couch. Elena continued, "I followed him to make sure he was okay. Turns out he was chasing Vicki Donovan who went into the woods with Tyler Lockwood. When I tried to get him to stop and talk to me… he tripped over Vicki, who was passed out on the ground. There was blood gushing from her neck. I screamed, and we called an ambulance and Matt went with her. He's still there, I think."

"That does not sound like a very fun bonfire."

"It wasn't. When are you coming home?"

Now, that was the question. When was I coming home? Katherine left me so confused. I needed more answers. The problem was, I didn't know where to start. I needed to think of a plan, and I knew that didn't involve going home. Truth was, I didn't want to go home. Ever since I came back a vampire, I was constantly afraid I was going to slip up. It was nice not having that constantly over my head. I knew that I needed some time away from Mystic Falls, to try and control what I was now. _But, how much time?_

"I don't know. She really needs me here for a few more days, at least. The funeral is in…" I struggled to come up with a good number of days. "five days."

"Then, you'll come home?"

"I'll try. Listen, 'Lena I have to go now, but I have a feeling that Vicki is going to be alright."

"How can you be so sure?"

"It's just a feeling. My phone's about to die, so I have to go. Bye!" I hung up quickly, and wiped away the tear from my cheek. I didn't know when I would be home again. But, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be in five days. There was one more thing I had to do before I could stop thinking about Mystic Falls. I had to call Damon and make sure he healed Vicki and didn't hurt anyone else. I dialed his number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello, sexy." Damon's smooth voice answered.

"Hello, you little shit!" I replied.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What'd I do?"

"That little snack you had last night? Ya, remember her?"

"What about her? I already know I left her alive. Stefan told me that little fact."

"Oh, really? Did he also tell you that you're going to heal her?"

"Nope. Because I'm not."

"Yes, you are Damon. Because if you don't I'm going to track you down and make your life a living hell!"

"I'd like to see you try." He said. Just then, a young girl walked by. That gave me an idea to show Damon I was serious.

"Excuse me," I said, "I'm a little lost. Can you show me where the nearest hotel is?"

"Sure, if you go down to the end of the street and take a…"

I cut her off. "You are going to go to Mystic Falls, Virginia, track down Damon Salvatore, and…" I didn't get to finish my compulsion because Damon interrupted me.

"Alright. You made your point. Besides, I'm pretty sure Stefan already took care of it."

"Well, you are going to make sure he did."

"First, tell me where you are. I know you're not in Mystic Falls."

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Who's going to help me release Katherine from the tomb now?"

"Oh, Damon, there's something I should tell you…" I trailed off, not sure if telling him that Katherine wasn't in the tomb was the right thing to do.

"What?" He said, with a tone that was somewhere between curious and annoyed.

"You're my friend, so I'm going to tell you… I left Mystic Falls because I found out… I'm adopted." I chickened out at the last minute. "I need to track down my birth parents. I'm going to be gone from Mystic Falls for a while. Don't tell Elena. I need more answers before I go into that mess." I said, even though I had no real intention of tracking down the people who abandoned Elena and me.

"I'm sorry Ally. That must have been hard to find out. You're my friend, too. So, I'm going to let you do what you need to do. I can handle getting Katherine out on my own. I already have someone on the inside working for me. Even if she doesn't know it."

"Damon, I have a lot going on right now, so I'm not going to ask what that meant. But, if you hurt anyone I care about, I am coming after you. Hell hath no fury like an Ally scorned."

"Somehow, I believe you. Goodbye, little spy."

"Goodbye, little shit." With that, I hung up the phone and decided to get something to eat. I took the girl I compelled into an alley across the street and drank from her a little. Then, I fed her a drop of blood and compelled her to forget me. Surprisingly, I was still hungry, but for human food.

I walked into the nearest diner I could find and got a table. I ordered quickly, and probably too much food. After the waiter left, I began to think about my next step. I knew going after Katherine would be useless. She was probably halfway across the world by now. I knew I couldn't go back to Mystic Falls until I had something concrete to tell Elena. And Damon. And Stefan. Right now, all I had was a confusing jumble of parts of things that I needed to connect to see the big picture. Katherine was smart. She told me just enough so that I would be beyond confused. _I think I might need to invent a new term for how confused I am right now. Exponentially flabbergasted? Acutely befuddled? No, I think I'm just extremely pissed off. And my heightened vampire senses are not helping._

I heard the door to the diner open, and a very handsome man who was wearing a very expensive looking suit walked in. I got a weird feeling looking at his almost unnatural attractiveness. My suspicions were confirmed when he came and sat down at my booth.

"Здравейте, Катерина. Той е бил известно време. Все още тече от брат ми?" He said in a sexy accent, in what I guessed was Bulgarian.

* * *

**A/N: Hello! I hope you liked this chapter. I'm really excited about it! Comment with who you think came into the diner! If you guess it right, I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter! The next few chapters are really great and I'm really excited to share them with you! She meets Klaus really soon, so hang in there! Also, there are going to be some time jumps coming up, so be prepared for that. Thanks for reading and as always, feel free to review with any comments, suggestions or even criticisms that you have!**


	6. Author's Note

**Hello Readers!**

**I now that putting an author's note instead of a chapter is completely lame, but I had to do it! I am in the process of writing and just wanted to update you guys! You guys inspire me to write, so I wanted to let you know that more is coming! Big shout out to BehindGrayEyes, totalRandum, and Erudessa-gabrielle for guessing correctly that the man is, drum roll please!, Elijah! I guess the suit clue kind of gave it away! :) Also, Elijah said, "Hello Katerina. It's been a while. Still running from my brother?"The next chapter is all her and Elijah, and then she meets Klaus in the chapter after that! Her and Klaus's first interaction is great! I'm going to take a little longer to update that one because I want it to be really perfect! I've already rewritten it a few times! I just can't seem to get it right, but I had an inspiration today, and it's almost done! I have a pretty firm idea of where I'm going for the next few chapters. I also know the exact moment that she will be back in Mystic Falls! There are a few scenes that are just playing over and over in my head, begging to be written, and that is one of them! As always, any guesses, suggestions, compliments, or criticism is appreciated! Reviews make me very happy!**

**Love,**

**~cinders44~**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: I really hope you like this chapter! It took me so long to write, so I'm really proud of it. it's a little short but... c'est la vie. SHE MEETS KLAUS NEXT CHAPTER! And it's not just a cliffhanger where he says 'hello' or something like that... it's there whole first conversation! i'm probably more excited than you guys! klaus is my favorite character on the show and i really hope to do him justice! elijah is probably my second favorite, which is why it took me this long to write this chapter. As always, please review! Reviews make me really happy! I know i'm just fishing now, but... what can i say? I love reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. :'( (If i ever win the lottery, i WILL change that annoying fact!)**

* * *

"Excuse me?" I had never seen this man before, and I had no idea why he would sit down next to me and start speaking another language.

"Have you forgotten your Bulgarian already, Katerina?" He said with a satisfied smirk on his face. _He thinks he's caught the elusive Katherine Pierce. I would be smug too. Hell, I was smug when I thought I caught her. Although, I did track her down. I'm getting off topic. Well dressed, probably dangerous, man sitting in front of me._

"Katerina? You think I'm Katherine." I hoped I could convince him that I wasn't Katherine. _If he really wanted to find Katherine, he would convince himself that I'm lying when I say I'm not her. It would be the easiest explanation. What other explanation would there be for another vampire doppelgänger?_

"Really, Katerina? Pretending to not be you. That's the worst trick in the book and you know it. I've been following you for 3 blocks. I saw you feed on that girl." _Shit_. "Frankly, I actually think you might be someone else." He leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable. He knew he was in control of this situation. "It's not like you to not notice when you're being followed. Especially by me. You also know a fight is useless. You know you can't win."

"Listen, I don't know who you are or what you want with Katherine, but she is long gone by now, so please leave me alone." I said, but it sounded desperate, even to me. My asking him to wasn't going to make him leave me alone.

He leaned across the table and looked straight into my eyes. "Tell me who you are."

I gasped. "You're trying to compel me. You're an Original." I thanked the stars that I had drunken that vervaine I found in Katherine's fridge.

"I do admire the dedication to this charade. Only Katerina Petrova would willingly drink vervaine every day. You were always so determined, weren't you? Even when my brother was hell bent on killing you. You know, you remain, to this day, the only person to ever truly escape Niklaus. At least, you're the one to do it for the longest."

"Who are you?" I said, starting to slide to the outside of the booth, so I could be as far away from him as possible. _It wouldn't make any difference, anyway. Katherine said Originals can't be killed. Although, if he thinks I'm Katherine, why hasn't he killed me yet?_

He looked me in the eyes, deciding if it was worth it to play along and pretend I wasn't Katherine. "Ah, for the purposes of comedy, I will play along. I'm not as serious as most seem to think I am. I'm Elijah Mikaelson."

I breathed a very very small sigh of relief. "At least you're not Klaus. He seems like the scariest Original."

"And where did you hear that absolutely true statement? Although, I think my sister Rebekah could give him a run for his money."

"Oh, really? What about your other siblings?" I grasped at the distraction, trying to think of a way I could get out of this alive.

"Well, Finn's basically a puppy. He'd never want to hurt anyone; quite boring. Kol is… young. He's very reckless." Elijah seemed to have a soft side that came out when he talked about his siblings.

"And Klaus?" He seemed to sense I was distracting him.

"You ask a lot of questions, not Katerina."

"It feels like all I've been doing for the past forty eight hours is asking questions. You seem like you might be the only person with the answers, Elijah."

"That I might be, unless you manage to run into Niklaus, and he doesn't kill you instantly."

"I think I might be safer with you." If Klaus was as bad as Katherine and Elijah seemed to think he was, if this was Klaus sitting in front of me, I would be dead. He wouldn't take time to even consider that I wasn't Katherine.

"I wouldn't count on it."

"So, you still think I'm Katherine?" I asked, hoping by some miracle he realized I wasn't her.

"Most definitely. Unless you tell me who you really are."

"Not a chance. I know that my identity is the only thing I have that you don't right now. Katherine told me that you and your brother are out to murder her, and probably me." I purposely left out the fact that I had a twin sister who was still human. "Although, I don't really understand why. I didn't ask to be turned into a vampire. It's not my fault." I didn't realize why suddenly being a vampire was a bad thing. I think it was something that was good for me. I would have to tell Damon that he was right about my thanking him for it one day. And I'd only been a vampire for a couple days.

"Then whose fault is it?" Elijah looked very at ease. He knew he was in control and that he had the upper hand. He could kill me with one pinky finger. He'd lived a very long time, and probably learned many creative ways to kill people. Although, from the way he was looking at me, thinking I was Katherine, he had a thing for her. Or used to.

"Someone you will never know." I answered, trying to be clever, and protect Damon. I would not give my friend up. I wondered if I was pulling it off. "So, who turned you?" I tried to change the topic.

"That it is a very personal question, and not a part of my life I like to relive." I probably should have guessed that he wouldn't want to talk about how he died. I didn't really liked to talk about how I died.

"I'll make a deal. You give me some answers, and I'll think about giving you some." It seemed like I was making this deal a lot lately. First with Damon. I almost laughed thinking how much I learned since then. _And I still have so much more to learn._

"You should know: I never break a deal. And I do not let people break deals with me." He answered.

"Then let's not call it a deal. Let's call it a mutual understanding."

"I believe that is still a deal."

"I will not break the deal.

"Then, we have an understanding?"

"I believe so." I shook Elijah's hand. While I had no intention of breaking the deal, I was still nervous. But, somehow, I found the courage to get past that fear and believe that Elijah could help me.

"My family moved here after my older brother died of the plague in Europe. We made our home here. We actually lived not that far from here. We lived in a town with a large werewolf population, so every full moon…"

"Wait, werewolves?" I interrupted. "Katherine mentioned something about them to me, but there was so much other stuff. It's been hard to keep track."

"I understand. There's a lot to take in. I would advise you stay away from them. They don't make very good company for vampires."

"Why not?"

"Because one bite from a werewolf can kill a vampire. And there is only one known cure. Klaus' blood. And not many people can get that."

"Duly noted. Continue." I moved past that new info. _At least there is a cure._

"Right. Where was I? Oh, yes. Every full moon the townspeople would hide underground until the sun came up. Foolishly, one moon Niklaus and my younger brother, Henrik, went to watch the wolves. Henrik was attacked and didn't survive. My family was devastated. My father convinced my mother, who was a very powerful witch, to turn us into vampires. She fed us the blood of the original Petrova doppelganger, Tatia. Then, my father ran us through with his sword. We fed, and thus were turned."

"That sounds… traumatizing. Et j'ai pensé que je l'avais mauvaise." _And I thought I had it bad._

"Ah, une doppelganger bilingue." _Ah, a bilingual doppelgänger._

"En realidad, hablo cinco idiomas.." _Actually, I speak five languages. _Elijah seemed pretty impressed.

"Really?"

"Etiam, Verum ego puto nunc Bulgarorum discere." _Yes, and now I think I am going to learn Bulgarian._

"Fascinating. Now, I've told you about me, you tell me about you."

I sighed and began to think about where to begin. "My name is Ally. I came to DC to track down Katerina Petrova. I ran into someone she compelled to spy on me, and I got her to tell me where Katherine was. I tracked her down and demanded answers." I laughed as I thought about what I really got. "All I got was confused. She told me about a curse, and the Originals. And how Klaus isn't your father's son. And how he has to sacrifice the doppelganger to become a hybrid; part vampire, part werewolf, all deadly."

"That sounds about right. We found Katherine after she came to London, and when she found out about the sacrifice, she ran." He suddenly got a smirk on his face. "She didn't even let me tell her I found a way for her to survive the ritual, and remain human."

"What?" I said, unable to hide the hope behind my eyes.

"Yes, there was no telling if she would survive or not. It was never tested. Although, I suppose it is still useless, given that both of the doppelgangers are now vampires."

"Yes, what a shame." I said, thinking about whether he was lying or not. "What did Klaus plan to do once he broke the curse?"

"Ah, my brother's evil master-plan. He planned to break the curse, become the most powerful creature in the world, and create more hybrids like himself. He was never truly accepted by my father. My father is a cruel man who made us turn into something even he himself didn't fully comprehend. Once he saw what we had become, and once he saw Niklaus start to turn and knew he wasn't his son, he spent the rest of his days tracking us down and trying to kill us. Well, kill Klaus. All my brother wants is to be accepted. And being accepted by his siblings was never enough for him. I think he wanted to prove my father wrong, and show him that he is a good man."

"When you put it that way, Klaus doesn't sound so bad. I feel sorry for him. And you. To grow up with a father like that must have been really difficult. It must not have been a picture perfect childhood. Mostly because pictures wouldn't be invented for over 8 centuries," I laughed for probably a lot longer than I should have. Puns always get me.

Elijah laughed a little, but no more than was polite. _I guess he doesn't have a big sense of humor. New goal in life: make Elijah pee himself laughing. _"Yes, well. Now that we have established my background, it's time for you. Now, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, I know that your name is Ally and that you came here to track down Katerina Petrova. I believe that ends the list."

"I believe you're right. Well, I'm no one extraordinary. That was always my sister." I realized with a start that I had revealed something I definitely shouldn't have. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the manager was now giving us the stink eye. We had been sitting at the table for over an hour, and there was now a wait for tables. I had finished my food before Elijah had even come in. I found my excuse to correct my mistake and quickly capitalized on it. "We should go. Walk and talk?"

"Fine, if it gets me answers about you." He replied.

"It will." I quickly paid the bill and we walked out of the restaurant.

"Alright. Ask me a question and I will decide if answering it won't get me killed." I said once we were outside.

"How did you know Katerina was in Washington?"

"She compelled someone in my town to keep an eye on my family. I came in and the girl thought I was Katherine, so I compelled her to tell me where Katherine was. The rest was a simple internet search for the nicest foreclosures in the area."

"Alright. Who turned you?"

"No one you would be interested in."

"Where do you live?"

"No where interesting."

"What's your last name?"

"Something boring."

"What's your middle name?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Why don't you want to tell me?"

"Alright, if you will believe it, it's Katherine."

"Really?" He said skeptically.

"I am being completely serious."

"Alright. Who turned you?'

"You already asked that."

"You never answered."

"And I'm not going to."

"The only reason you wouldn't answer is if you had something to hide."

"And what do you think that is?"

"I think there is someone you are trying to protect. But, who?"

"Isn't that the million dollar question?" I asked, trying to be skeptic. _I might want a break from Mystic Falls, but not permanently. _I thought while I was trying to figure out how to get Elijah off of this topic. I finally understood that there was no way I was going to. Elijah was not going to stop. And, he was an Original, so he could rip me to shreds and still put a very expensive suit on. But, there was a way I could get the Originals to leave my family and me alone. Elena would hate me for it, and Stefan would probably kill me for it. Although, I knew that Elijah knew that I had a deep secret that I was not sharing. He would not stop until he knew it. I know that Elijah was an honorable man, and would stick to his deals. "Elijah, I want to make a deal. The kind you want to make."

"Does this 'deal' get me all of your little secrets?" He asked with a skeptical look on your face.

"Yes." I said hesitantly. Then, I thought of a question. "Why do even want to know all about me anyway? I'm a vampire, so I can't help you with the curse."

"To be honest, I am hoping that something you say might help me find my brother. I am getting kind of desperate." That was kind of sweet. _Family must be really important to Elijah._

"What? You don't know where Klaus is?"

"No, I do not. Well, I don't know his specific geographical location."

"Why do you want to find him?" I asked.

"Either to kill him, or help him. I haven't decided yet." He replied.

"Okay, putting that new information aside. Do you want to hear the deal?"'

"Yes, I do. You have my attention."

"I help you and Klaus complete the ritual that makes him a hybrid. You, in turn, promise to not kill anybody in the process."

"I do believe that is impossible. For many reasons. Would you like me to list them?"

"No. I don't see why it is. You get a powerful witch to bring back the vampire and werewolf. You give the doppelganger the spell you got for Katherine. Nobody dies, and Klaus gets what he wants. Everyone's happy."

"Well, that part could be theoretically possible. But, there is no human doppelganger."

"Actually…"

Elijah stopped walking. "Do you know something?"

"I do, actually. I have an identical twin sister, Elena."

"What?"

"We are completely identical. And… she's human. She is a human doppelganger."

Elijah slammed me into the wall of an alley that we were walking past. "If you are lying to me, I will kill you."

"I'm... not. Let's find... Klaus and then... I'll prove it." I gasped for breath. Elijah let me fall to the ground and I stopped to catch my breath.

"Fine. But, you find Klaus yourself. He won't want to see me. It will be better if you go alone."

"That's… terrifying." The thought of tracking down the man who was trying to kill me, although he didn't know I existed yet, made me want to vomit. Although, I had met his brother and lived to tell the tale. _So, far._ "But, ok. You said you didn't know his exact geographical location. What does that mean?"

"My brother has many homes. Mansions, actually. Some bigger than others. He's kind of a collector. And, after a thousand years, you tend to save up a lot of money. He will be staying at one of them. He has witches from all over looking for a way to break the curse without a doppelganger."

"Which house do you think he's at?"

"I know that his favorite is about an hour outside of Paris. You can check there. I will give you a complete list of addresses once I can sit down and try to remember all of them. For now, go to Paris."

"Paris? I've never been out of the country. I don't even have a passport."

"That's no matter. I can have a fake one issued in days. Hours, if I threaten the right people."

"Sounds like you have a lot of power."

"However scared you are of me and how much power I have, my brother inspires more fear than I do. He is more ruthless than I am. He shows no mercy to those who have wronged him." Elijah informed me.

"Well, then it's a good thing I haven't wronged him."

"I would be careful. Make sure the first words out of your mouth prove that you are not Katerina."

"Alright, got it. What else?"

"That's all the advice I can give you. Dealing with my brother is an acquired skill."

By then, we had been talking for hours. I learned a few things about Elijah. He oozes class. I had a feeling that if you looked up 'class' in the dictionary, Elijah's name would be the only thing listed. "Thank you, Elijah." I said.

"For what? You do realize I might be sending you on a suicide mission?"

"Yes, but it's my best hope. If I hadn't met you, Klaus would have found me, eventually. At least this way, I have a fighting chance of living. I have you to thank for that."

"I assure you, the pleasure was all mine. This might help my brother find redemption."

"Everybody deserves at least a chance for redemption."

"Are you quoting me?"

"No, I'm quoting myself. Now, for what I get from you out of this deal."

"What could you want from me? I've already told you all you need to know about Klaus. And I will call you later with a longer list of places Klaus might be."

"You need to go to my hometown and protect my family. Don't let them see you and don't let them know you're there, but make sure nothing tries to kill them. Don't interfere unless their lives are in real danger."

"Alright. I will need to keep this doppelganger safe. Where do you live?"

"Mystic Falls, Virginia."


End file.
